Kakurenbo
by Hoozuki
Summary: She's shy. He's direct. She's invisible. He's popular. She hides. He pretends. Polar opposites, yet they find themselves needing each other more than they know. That's a little hard though when she's disguised as a boy, giving a new meaning to Hide and Seek. Please be kind and review.


_**Kakurenbo**_

_**By: Hoozuki**_

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_Strangers_

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"_Strangers__ are exciting, their mystery never ends. But, there's nothing like looking at your own history in the faces of your friends.__"—Ani Difranco_

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_Saturday, August 10__th__…_

_Iwa, Tsuchi no Kuni…_

_Haruno Home, 6: 47 PM…_

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_ Slam!_

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Ears perked up at the sound of the front door slamming closed. The matriarch of the humble house followed the pathway of the halls until she happened upon the front door of the living room. There she found her young daughter slumped against the shoe closet, more disheveled than she had ever seen her. A startled gasp escaped her throat as she ran over to inspect her daughter's condition. There were cuts and bruises on the girl's pale face with evidence of dried blood.

"Oh! Sweetheart!" she gasped again, cradling her daughter's cheeks. "Kizashi! Get the first aid kit!"

Stomping from down the hall alerted the matriarch that her husband was coming to see what the commotion was. A few moments later appeared a man in his forties with graying light pink hair. He was the complete opposite of his wife who had blonde hair and a paler complexion. Luckily—and unluckily—for their daughter, the child inherited her mother's complexion and eye color—which was a green, though lighter in hue; however, her locks were the shade of the cherry blossoms for which she was named.

"What's wrong, Mebuki?" he panted out, and then noticed his beaten daughter. "Did they do this to her?! Those damn kids! I swear I'm gonna—"

"Never mind that!" Mebuki reprimanded. "Just get the kit!"

"Oh! Right, right!" Kizashi said to himself before running back to find the first aid kit.

While he was doing that, Mebuki tried to help move her daughter to her room. Though it was difficult to practically drag dead weight, any love a mother felt for her child always outweighed any harsh difficulties. As soon as she got her daughter settled, the mother began changing her out of the bloodied clothing just as Kizashi entered the room. The man let out a horrified yelp, throwing an arm before his face to hide his eyes from his baby's maturing body. Mebuki merely rolled her eyes at his immaturity before taking the kid and ushered him out of the room.

"Men," she mumbled silently to herself as she started to disinfect the wounds. As a result, a groan sounded from her daughter. Dark green eyes widened in relief. "Oh thank god you're alright!"

Another pained grunt followed as the blonde crushed her daughter in a tight embrace. "Kaa…san…you're hurting…me," the daughter managed to wheeze out.

"Ah! Gomen, gomen," Mebuki apologized, wiping the tears that have gathered as she watched her daughter sit up slowly. Then, suddenly she remembered something and quickly left the room only to return a few moments later with a thick white envelope in her hand. "This came for you."

Sea foam eyes blinked in confusion, hesitatingly taking the letter until she saw the return address. The eyes widened in disbelief. "This is…?" she asked and her mother nodded. "Have you…"

Her mother shook her head 'no.' "We haven't opened it yet," Mebuki informed her while dressing her child in cleaner clothes. "We wanted to wait for you to get home first."

The daughter nodded slowly in understanding, the envelope shaking in her tiny hands.

The Haruno matriarch frowned worriedly. "Do you want me to leave?"

The girl shook her head. "Iiya," she answered, looking at her mother directly. "Can you get Tousan? I want him to be here, too."

Mebuki nodded and went to get her husband. A few minutes later, the parents entered the room together, each sitting on either side of the bed beside their daughter. The young girl stared at them before looking at the envelope nervously, and taking a shaky breath.

"Go on, open it," Kizashi urged, just as nervous as she was.

The fourteen year old nodded anxiously before exhaling a long breath and tearing open the envelope. Upon unfolding the letter, she closed her eyes for a moment until she reopened them to read the contents of the paper.

_"__To Haruno Sakura: _

_ It is our pleasure to tell you that you have been accepted to our school, Firelight Hall Academy…__"_

She never finished the rest of the letter, the words dying on her tongue. Sakura looked wide-eyed at her parents, jaw dropping.

"You got accepted?" Mebuki inquired with slight amazement.

"I got accepted," Sakura confirmed in a soft voice.

Kizashi looked from mother to daughter, gradually comprehending the information. "Wait, what?" he asked, looking back and forth. "Sakura got accepted?"

A smile broke out on the girl's face. "I got accepted!" the rosette exclaimed, throwing her arms around her parents in excitement.

Even though he was certainly happy for his daughter, Kizashi still couldn't help feeling a bit crestfallen. He pulled out of the embrace to cup his little girl's bruised cheeks gingerly. "I know this is the right thing to do," he said slowly, "But are you sure this is what you want?"

Sakura confirmed his question with several happy nods. "That school is where Tsunade-sama went," she told them matter-of-factly. "I want to be able to gain the same experience…" Her bright smile then faded into a sad one. "…maybe it'll be easier if people didn't know who I was, then…I could go to school in peace for once."

"If it's a matter of miles, you could always go to Suna where your cousins live," Kizashi hastily suggested, seeing her depressed expression.

The rosette shook her head. "I'm sure Gaara-nii has his own problems to worry about. He doesn't need me to bother him, too."

"Kizashi, you should be happy for her," Mebuki reminded in a disapproving tone before moving to give her daughter a tighter hug. "You'll come and visit, won't you?"

Sakura sank into her mother's warm embrace, trying to ingrain every detail into her memory, so she wouldn't forget. "Of course, I will, Mama," she assured them softly. "I only have you and Papa, after all."

"Haha! Alright, alright!" the mother laughed while sniffing the tears away. "We should stop or your father's going to cry, too."

"I will not!" he retaliated defensively. "Anyways, when does your orientation start?"

The fourteen year old looked at the other sheets that came with her acceptance letter. There was a welcome letter along with the academic calendar, and the school map. Taking the calendar, her green eyes scanned over the dates until she found the orientation day. She blinked in surprise.

"It's Monday," she informed quietly.

"So soon?" the blonde asked.

Sakura shrugged before moving off the bed—with careful movements—to go grab her suitcases from the closet. "I guess they want to get the students settled as soon as possible," she figured, gathering her clothes for every season—though all of them were very baggy. She paused and looked at her parents. "Do you think it'll snow there like it does here?"

Her father shook his head, his odd shaped spikes shaking with him. "I doubt it. You went there in the fall before—didn't it get cold?"

The young rosette tilted her head up to stare at the ceiling. "It was chilly, but not horribly cold."

"What are we going to do about your uniform?" Mebuki asked, looking through the papers.

Vaguely paying attention, Sakura replied distractedly, "I'll buy it when I get there. It'll be easier to try on the clothes in person." Once she was done with her clothes, the young woman zipped up the suitcase, and went to grab the smaller one. "Let's see…oh! I can't forget my art supplies and laptop."

"You sure are bringing a lot of stuff, Sakura," her dad observed as she darted all over the room.

"Well, I'm going to be there for a year, so I'll need some things to occupy my time."

The man sighed. "I guess I'll start looking for flight times," he said. "You'll be flying alone, I'm assuming?"

"Hai, Tousan," Sakura answered.

After her father left the room, Mebuki sat quietly, watching her daughter flit from spot to spot like a little fly. She, too, sighed sadly like Kizashi. She knew that this was what her little girl wanted—needed even—but it still made her sad that she won't be able to watch over her as she used to. However, if Sakura was ever going to learn to stand up for herself, she would have to do it without the protection of her parents.

"Kaasan, what's wrong?"

The said woman jumped at the sound of her daughter calling to her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Nothing, dear," she lied. "Just thinking."

But Sakura saw through her façade, and sat down on the bed with her mom. "I'll be fine, Mama. I can't have you guys protect me all the time," Sakura stated softly and rationally. "Besides if I need help, there's always Jiichan, Kakashi-ojisan, and Tsunade-sama. So please, don't worry."

"Say that all you want, kid, but your parents will always worry about you no matter how old you are," Mebuki reminded jokingly.

Sakura chuckled. "Hai, hai."

With that, the Haruno home was busy the rest of the night, trying to get their daughter ready for her first year away from home.

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_Foreigner_

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_Sunday, August 11__th__…_

_Iwa International Airport, 4: 45 AM…_

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"Okay, remember those layovers at Suna and Konoha; you'll have to switch planes and—Sakura, pay attention!"

The Haruno family was at the airport since the earliest flight Kizashi found was at five in the morning. Currently, he was trying to explain when his daughter needed to switch flights, but she wasn't focusing on him. As a result that made his anxiety sky rocket. If she couldn't figure out her itinerary and got lost, he'd probably go berserk and call and demand to every airport agency there was to go and find her.

Sakura seemed to have notice his anxiety and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I'll be fine, Papa," she said for the umpteenth time within the last half hour that morning. "You do this every time I go somewhere. It's not the first time I went on a plane by myself, you know. I'm fourteen years old; I'm not a baby anymore."

The man scoffed at her mature attitude, her attempt to be an adult. He knew full well how her personality worked. She could be the most understanding and mature and outspoken child ever; however…that was only around people she knew _extremely_ well. When she was around people she never met before, he saw her crawl back into her hole and become the shiest, most introverted and withdrawn person on the planet—which resulted in her constant bullying daily. Because of that, she grew up to be very distrustful of people and naïve of the world. So when Tsunade decided to take her under her guidance, he was very grateful that Sakura could see the world in a much different light. Yet, despite how grateful he was, he was so sure she was going to revert back to that fragile baby he held in his arms in her first moments of life.

"Just call us if you ever need anything, dear," repeated her mother once more.

_"All flights to Konoha, Hi no Kuni, please proceed to Gate 12,"_ the intercom rang out loudly. _"All flights to Konoha, Hi no Kuni, please proceed to Gate 12."_

"That's you!" Mebuki said, looking at the ticket. "Let's head over there now."

Once said, the family rushed over to the gate to see the passengers already standing in line. On her ticket, it said she was passenger 17B. Leading her to the B section, they found the number 17 label and squeezed her between passengers 16B and 18B. Her parents made some last minute checks: her ticket, the two suitcases, her messenger bag, the school papers, and…

"Oh! Here are your glasses, sweetheart." Mebuki pulled from her pocket a red case with Sakura's glasses in them and handed it to the rosette. "I know you have your contacts, but take these just in case."

Grateful that her mother remembered, Sakura said, "Arigatou, Kaasan," before taking the case and putting it into the pocket of her messenger bag. They didn't really count the bag as much of a carryon item since it was small enough to stay on her lap, so luckily she used the two free carryon with the other suitcases.

With his game face on, Kizashi placed both his large hands on his daughter's thin and small shoulders, staring boldly in her eyes. "Alright, tell me what you're going to do when you land in Suna," he demanded ridiculously.

"Come on, Tousan!" Sakura groaned, rolling her head to the side in exaggerated tiredness. "I got it!"

The man shook his head. "Nope, not unless I hear you say it," he insisted seriously.

16B and 18B chuckled at the family interactions, making the girl blush in embarrassment and sink into her shoulders.

"Fine," she grumbled, willing her face to cool down. "When I get off at Suna, I'll call you and head over to the next gate," she recited from memory. "Then once I get off that flight, I'll call you again to let you know I'm in Konoha." She took an exaggerated deep breath before continuing. "After that, I'll call you guys when I'm in Haruhi. Happy?"

In response, the man hugged his daughter, unsuccessfully keeping in his sniffles. "I'm gonna miss ya, kiddo," he told her softly. "Please be safe."

Sea foam eyes lowered at his tone. "I will. I love you guys."

_"Attention passengers: Any passenger with any disability will board first, followed by first class, and then coach by order of their ticket," _the gate keeper announced to them through a microphone. _"Alright, let's get started. Anyone with a disability, please step forward with your ticket present."_

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Ten minutes later, Sakura was sitting on the right side of the plane in the seat closest to the window. The plane she was in was fairly large with three sections: the center, the right, and the left. She always sat on the right of the plane, so when the sun rose from the east, it wouldn't shine in her face if she wanted to sleep. The last of the passengers were settling in before the plane got ready to take off while the flight attendants were checking the overhead bins to make sure they were secured.

Even though she had been on a plane several times before, Sakura still got nervous and motion sick. So before the plane took off, she took some pills to help with the motion sickness, and decided to stick in her ear buds from her Zune, seeing as how it was a twelve hour flight from here to Hi no Kuni with stops at Suna and Konoha. Not wanting to be disturbed, she pulled on the hood from her sweater, covering her hair from all curious eyes. Tucking her messenger bag tightly against her, Sakura promptly feel asleep due to the medicine.

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_Newcomer_

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_4: 37 PM…_

_Konoha International Airport…_

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_ Slump!_

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The seat groaned in protest as the person sat on the outer seat, leaving a seat open between himself and the person in the window seat. He had noticed that person jump slightly at his entry, but he couldn't care less. He was just tired and was lucky to even make it for his flight—all thanks to his fussy mom. The woman had to worry about _everything_. She acted like it was his first time leaving for school. Sure it was only his second year, but he had been on loads of planes due to his parents dragging him and his brother to every freaking single one of their business meetings. He snorted. Like hell he was going into the family business. That was his brother's thing, not his. But each time he was forced along, he would get hassled by not only the daughters of the business folks, but also the mothers of these girls. It was horrible really to be good-looking; he never asked for any of it. But no~! Genetics didn't really care if it made him miserable as long as he looked as good as his parents. Technically, he looked much more like his mother, taking after her softer angles, paler complexion, and extreme onyx eyes. To make everything much, _much_ worse than it already was in his now sixteen years of life, he was the youngest son of one of the largest corporations in the country, Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke glanced over to his right, seeing the person he was sitting next to dressed in a large dark grey sweater and baggy dark blue jeans with a hood over his head. A fine black brow lifted as he noticed everyone else was wearing summer clothes. It was pretty hot in Konoha at this time of year, so it was more than a little strange to see someone dressed for fall.

"Can you tell me the time?" he asked because one: he already shut his phone off; and two, he was curious to see the person's face. However, when the guy didn't answer, Sasuke frowned, and reached over to tap him on the shoulder.

The person again jumped, but this time at the contact. He tilted his head at him, pulling out what seemed to be ear buds from his hoodie. Well, that would explain why he didn't hear Sasuke the first time.

The boy sighed and asked once more, "Can you tell me the time?"

The guy sitting next to him seemed to be in a dilemma since his phone was also shut off.

"Look," Sasuke started as his irritation was getting higher and higher. "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. I'll ask someone else."

"Uun," the person shook his head and pulled off the hood, surprising Sasuke.

He blinked a couple of times, trying to process what he was seeing. The entire time he thought that person was a guy because of the baggy clothes when in actuality, he was a _she_. A very unique she. Living in Konoha his whole life, Sasuke saw a lot of different fashion trends come and go, but this one topped his list of weirdness. This girl had light pink hair that reminded him of cherry blossoms with extremely pale skin and light green eyes—or that's what it looked like since she was wearing glasses. What struck him as odd were the patches of gauze and band-aids on her face. He wondered if she was bullied—probably if she was going to have that as her hair style.

"It's real."

Sasuke blinked again. "What?"

The rosette took a deep breath and looked at him bravely, a light pink dusting on her cheeks. "My hair, it's real," she told him, pulling back the sleeve of her left hand to reveal a watch with the face on the underside of her wrist. "It's 4: 45."

The Uchiha only dumbly nodded, staring at her features as she tried to avoid eye contact awkwardly.

"Ano…" she said shyly, turning his attention away from her hair.

Sasuke cleared his throat, embarrassed that he was staring. "What is it?"

The girl looked down, trying to look anywhere but at him. Nervously, she pulled the hood back up, hiding her natural pink locks. "Is…is that all you needed?" she questioned with caution.

The boy had to note that this was _the _weirdest encounter he ever experienced. Actually, scratch that. Meeting his best friend was the weirdest; but this one took second place. Ever since the teen could remember, he was always being chased or ogled at by species of the opposite sex. But this girl was one of the _now_ five girls who didn't go berserk and rabid in his presence. In fact, she looked timid and even scared of him. One of his friends—could he call her a friend? Well, either way, one of his _acquaintances_ was also shy like her, but probably not as much. Though seeing her bandaged face, Sasuke didn't blame her for being so distrustful.

"No, that's it. Thank you," he replied politely—no use being his normal brooding self when the girl wasn't even bothering him—and watched the rosette nod slowly before sticking her ear buds back on and closing her eyes behind the lens.

The flight wasn't supposed to take off for another fifteen minutes, so Sasuke followed her lead and leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

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_Transient _

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_7: 10 PM…_

_Near Haruhi Airport…_

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Some time during the flight, Sasuke woke up from the rough turbulence the flight was having. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked over at his right, passed the girl, and out the window to see a pink purple sky. The plane shook again and a terrified gasp erupted from the girl. His intense dark eyes stare at her stiff form as she gripped the armrest for dear life. Her breathing was deep and slow, but he could clearly see how uncomfortable and scare she was.

Sighing, he leaned back in his seat, his gaze forward. "Afraid of flying?" he asked casually, making polite conversation to distract her.

Beside him, the girl gave a tired chuckle while pulling off her glasses and tucking them into the front pocket of the sweater. "What—" The turbulence was stronger this time, rattling the overhead bins. The rosette took a deep breath, and tried again. "What…gave it away?" she replied sardonically, giving him a half-hearted smile.

The Uchiha had to clear his throat again, losing his voice when he saw the clearness of her eyes—now that it wasn't blocked by any lens. Her eyes were so innocent and pure that it actually made _him_ uncomfortable.

"White knuckling it doesn't really help," he pointed out at her tight grip. He smirked slightly at her reddening cheeks. "I can't help but notice how timid you are. Am I that intimidating?" It seemed like he had hit a nerve since her response to his inquiries was complete silence. "I apologize if I offended you. I was just trying to—"

The rosette shook her head and gave him another shaky smile. "N-no," she protested quietly, lowering her light eyes from his dark gaze. "It's just…it's just hard is all."

"Sou ka." Sasuke looked at her again, and immediately felt pity for her. She was so small and frail in his eyes that he wondered what she was doing by herself out here. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he introduced, using all societal manners he was taught. Truth to be told, the sixteen year old really did mean it. She was an interesting individual. It would be nice to talk to a girl for once who didn't fawn over him or was his friend.

A _ding_ went off in his head.

Why not?

He could still talk to her, but he didn't need to know her name. It was no fun that way. She was certainly a mystery and he wanted her to remain that way. Then it was decided.

It was then he quickly noticed her lips parting to introduce herself. Swiftly, Sasuke lifted his hand to stop her. She blinked at him confusedly—which he found strangely cute.

"Don't tell me your name," he told her and regarding her questioning frown, he continued, "Don't you know who I am?"

Her pink brows deepened. "Should I?" she asked him slowly like he was an idiot.

"You don't watch T.V. much, do you?" Sasuke deduced unsurprisingly and snorted lightly, seeing her offended expression. He had a feeling that this girl would speak her mind if she was comfortable enough to get out of her shell.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your __seat backs__ and __tray tables__ are in their full upright position," _came the flight attendant's voice, shocking the two teens from their conversation. _"Make sure your __seat belt__ is securely fastened and all __carry-on luggage__ is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Please turn off all __electronic devices__ until we are safely parked at the gate. Thank you."_

Sasuke turned back to the girl with excitement suddenly filling his veins, feeling the slow descent of the plane. "Where are you from?" he asked hastily.

"Excuse me?"

The boy clicked his tongue impatiently. "I need to give you a nickname since I don't know your real name."

"I'm uh…I'm from Tsuchi."

The teen thought about it and decided Tsuchi didn't fit her. Looking at her appearance, she reminded him of Spring with her pink hair, green eyes, and purity. "How about I call you Haru?"

_ "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Haruhi Airport. Local time is 7: 30 PM and the temperature is 102__º__. For your safety and comfort, we ask that you please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This will indicate that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move about. Please check around your seat for any personal belongings you may have brought onboard with you and please use caution when opening the overhead bins, as heavy articles may have shifted around during the flight._

_ If you require deplaning assistance, please remain in your seat until all other passengers have deplaned. One of our crew members will then be pleased to assist you.__We remind you to please wait until inside the terminal to use any electronic devices (or to smoke in the designated areas.)_

_ On behalf of Konoha Airlines and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice evening!"_

People were now starting to get out of their seats and gather their belongings from the overhead bins. There were some who decided to wait until the rush was over before moving. The flight attendants were positioned at each end of the plane, watching to see everything went smoothly.

Sasuke turned to look at the now fidgeting rosette as she grabbed her precious messenger bag from underneath her seat. When she moved to stand up, the Uchiha purposely crossed his legs so she couldn't pass until she heard his proposition. Seeing as how she had no other choice, the teen groaned and sat back down in her original seat; intending to leave that space between them present. Sasuke didn't mind; he only chuckled before placing his right elbow onto the rest to lean his cheek against his closed fist, his countenance now absolutely stoic.

"Look, I don't know you and you _obviously_ don't know me," he pointed out smugly, ignoring her glaring eyes. "So how about we get to know each other?"

The girl blinked at his offer. "Uh…why?"

He shrugged nonchalantly before leaning in to whisper, "Because it'll be interesting." As he said so, his eyes remained neutral as he pulled a strand of pink that hid underneath the hoodie. The result was her pulling away from him to widen their distance, the strands of her hair sliding through his fingers as she did so. Offhandedly, he noted how soft her hair was.

The rosette shook her head in disbelief. "Demo…nande?" she whispered softly, looking at him with sad bewilderment. "Why me?"

Instantly, Sasuke already knew and decided that he didn't like the conflicted look in her eyes. It didn't suit her—not when she was literally the embodiment of spring.

"Because _you're_ interesting," Sasuke emphasized simply, standing up now. "And I want to find out why."

"B-but you already gave me your name," she protested again, watching him pull their belongings out. "So what's the point?"

Once Sasuke grabbed his suitcase, he pulled out her two carry-ons, placing one sideways on his while he handed her the other one. He led the two of them off the plane and right before they left the gate, he stopped her. He could feel her questioning eyes watch him as he silently gave her back her luggage and rummaged through his. Once he found what he needed, Sasuke took a few minutes to complete his objective. Afterwards, he stood back up, standing a good head taller than her. Taking her left hand in his right, Sasuke led her to the luggage claim—after which he grabbed the rest of his baggage and brought them to the empty end of the taxi runway.

"Ano…Uchiha-san?" she started nervously, looking at him with liquid jade orbs.

At the sound of his surname, Sasuke gripped his hand tighter on her little limb. "The point is for us to know each other's real selves," the teen finally answered somberly, pulling the locks of hair again.

She seemed to be taken aback by his words as her gaze grew larger. "Our real selves…?" she repeated doubtfully.

Sasuke leaned down so only she could hear his next words, even though no one was around. "You're going to hear a lot about Uchiha Sasuke if you stay here," Sasuke leaned back to touch the bandages on her pale face gently, "But none of that will be true."

"How do I know you're not lying to me right now?" she challenged back softly.

The young Uchiha teen couldn't believe what he was going to do next—to a stranger he only met two hours ago no less—but somehow it seemed like it was the right thing to do. He just hoped that she was shy enough not to react and kill him later. Gently and wordlessly, he pulled on the edge of her hood while he bent down at the same time, shielding them from prying eyes. It was soft and sweet, nothing like he ever experienced before. The moment his lips met hers, Sasuke felt a jolt that tingled them even as he pulled away. He prayed that that kiss conveyed to her the answer she was seeking. As he continued to pull back altogether, he took notice of how red her face became, confirming to him far more on just how innocent she was.

From the corner of his eye, a flash of yellow pulled up to the curb beside them. Deftly, Sasuke pulled his hand from hers while slipping a piece of paper into her palm.

"Hope to hear from you soon…Haru," Sasuke bade as he entered the cab.

The girl came to just as the cab drove away, and Sasuke watched while the rosette looked at the item her hands held. Satisfied, he turned his attention to the road ahead.

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_Drifter_

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_8: 00 PM…_

_Firelight Hall Academy…_

_Headmaster's Office…_

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Currently, one Haruno Sakura was standing stiffly and anxiously in front of the Headmaster's desk as she waited for his reaction to her request. She was fidgeting her fingers while he stared at her with meticulous scrutiny. With the dim lighting of the room and the fading rays of the sun outside, the dark shadows on the old man's face made him intimidating as smoke billowed from his ceramic pipe. The way his eyes observed her made Sakura feel like a two year old that was in trouble. And she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into her hole.

"You want to come to this school as a boy," he stated slowly.

Sakura nodded as firmly as she could without shaking. "Ha—" She paused, inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, and exhaled once more before staring at him boldly with determined eyes. "Hai."

The Headmaster lifted his white brows in interest. He had known this child since she was born until her parents moved to Tsuchi when she was only five. Despite their times apart, she would always come back to visit every once a while. However, since his time knowing her, in his eyes, he saw a strong young woman who just had a hard time showing her true colors. The only time he ever saw this determination was when she was with his former student, Tsunade. Tsunade saw something in this child that no one did and took her under her wing; and there he saw her actively progress in the art of medicine. But what she was doing now, he didn't really approve.

"Does your parents know?" he inquired.

She shook her head.

The Headmaster grumbled out a long sigh, determining what course of action he should take.

"I know you think that I'm hiding, Sarutobi-jiichan, and you're right," Sakura admitted, tightening her hands where she still felt the note. "But I'm doing this to see the world differently. I know I'll have to come out of my shell one day, but not right now. First I want to see…" she closed her eyes, remembering what Uchiha Sasuke said, "what will happen because…because…it'll be…_interesting._"

"Interesting?" Sarutobi reiterated curiously.

The fourteen year old nodded with a small smile. "I want to see how far I can push myself."

"I see," the old man muttered to himself, puffing out a ring of wispy white smoke. Seeing her there so confident made him want to bet on her, too. Sighing in defeat, Sarutobi said, "Fine, you may attend as a male student," Sakura's face burst with joy, "However, you must promise one thing."

Without thinking of the consequences, the young girl quickly nodded happily. "What is it, Jiichan?"

With a smile, Sarutobi told her, "…"

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_New Arrival_

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_Sunday, August 25__th__…_

_Hashirama Hall, 3: 15 PM…_

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In all honesty, Sakura wanted to bang her head on a wall for even agreeing. It was a day before the official start of the school semester, and most students were already assigned to their dorm rooms. Originally, Sakura had planned to ask her mentor slash second mother if she could stay with her; however, the promise—more like _promises_—she made with the old headmaster totally backfired her plan.

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_ "You must promise me…to make friends at this school," he stated seriously, blowing out another cloud of smoke._

_ Sakura blinked. Was that all? If that was the case, she shouldn't have too __many __problems in that area. She was sure she could manage to make at least one friend. Seeing no issues in his request, the fourteen year old opened her mouth to respond and accept until he went on._

_ "And," he said loudly, catching Sakura's attention._

_ Pink brows furrowed. "And?"_

_ Sarutobi smiled brightly. "And you _must_ stay on the school grounds."_

_ Green eyes nearly popped from their sockets._

_ "Meaning," he carried on, enjoying her shocked expression. "You would have to room with another student." Immediately he could see her gears shifting and kicking in as her brain comprehended the information._

_ "What?!" she yelled, her opinionated self breaking free of the chains that held her. "Are you crazy?! How the hell am I suppose to keep my secret?!" Realizing what she just said, a gasp squeaked from her throat as hands threw themselves over her mouth. She looked at him shamefully before quickly blurting, "I'm so sorry, Jiichan. I—"_

_ "Daijoubu, Sakura-yo," he chuckled as the rosette peeked at him warily. "You must do this if you want to come here as a male student."_

_The young woman thought about his proposal. If she wanted to come here disguised, she had to make friends _and _room with a student. But if she didn't, she would come here as a girl, as Haruno Sakura._

_ "Urgh…" Sakura__ groaned__ in defeat__ before begrudgingly nodding in agreement._

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Sakura grumbled again. During the two weeks earlier, she spent time reacquainting herself with the city and visiting her teacher, while the headmaster tried to find a suitable roommate for her. He wanted to have her room with another female student—one she could share her secret to, but…unfortunately that didn't work out so well. When all the rooms were taken, she asked to be a lone occupant. Well that didn't work out either, so now she will be rooming with a boy for the next year. The old man only chuckled at her expense, telling her to think of it as another challenge:

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Could she be friends with a boy while pretending to be one?

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Or…?

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Sighing worriedly, Sakura looked at the stuff in her arms: five pairs of winter uniforms in extra small as well as five pairs of spring uniforms—also extra small; her messenger bag with her life's content in it; and Uchiha Sasuke's note. When she first saw it, she was concerned that he might have forgotten it until she saw what was written on there. It said his name along with a mailing address. Maybe she should go with his plans. She was stress and needed to vent to someone about it and he was the only one she barely knew in Haruhi. The only problem was the address he provided; it was the school's address…specifically this dormitory.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, trying not to worry about that now. Taking a deep, deep breath, the rosette checked her hair, making sure no pink hair stuck out from the wig; checked her eyebrows—they needed to be brown otherwise her brows would raise questions; and finally checked her breasts. To be absolutely certain that her chest wouldn't identify her as a girl, Sakura wore a sports bra as the first layer, followed by layering adhesive sports bandages over it, and then more layers of different shirts that boys always wear. To finish the look, she wore her glasses, skewing her green eyes.

Sakura felt like she was going to have a panic attack every time she took deep breaths—but her teacher told her it help to calm her nerves, so she did it every time she was anxious. Sakura forced herself to find her courage, and finally knocked on the door softly. Truthfully, she could have used her dorm keys, yet she felt more intrusive that way—which later made no sense to her since it was her room, too.

Hearing shuffling feet on the other side of the thick cherry door, Sakura braced herself, and pushed the bridge of her glasses up. _'It's now or never,'_ she thought before the door was yanked open. Instantaneously, Sakura felt her eyes grow larger—so large that she was sure her eyes would have popped out if they could. On the inside, her braver self was screaming to go hide and don't look back but her feet were rooted. She couldn't move. Three words ran through her mind right then: _God damn it._

The young man before her lifted a bewildered brow before grunting. "You must be Moroi Shin, right?" he inquired stoically.

Sakura, still in shock, could only nod like a moron with words stuck in her throat. The guy on the plane was her roommate. The _Guy_ on the _Plane_ was her _Roommate_! She didn't know whether to be happy or to freak out at this moment. The only other thing she thought of was that he was a completely different person compared to the one she met.

Sasuke had already moved out of the way and was sitting at his desk, messing with his laptop. Noticing his roommate still standing in the doorway, he said, "Are you just going to stand there like an idiot?"

The young woman jumped at the harshness of his voice. "Ah, gomen, um…" she started, trying to deepen her voice as she made her way over to her side of the room.

Sasuke swiveled in his chair, watching her movements. "Uchiha Sasuke," he provided.

She nodded, letting the Uchiha know she heard before turning attention to the black suitcases on her bed. It was then she saw her bed was next to the window where the ocean could be seen. Even though she hated the sun going in her eyes in the morning, she supposed the ocean view was worth it. Pulling out her art supplies from one luggage bag, Sakura began to organize her belongings and textbooks on the desk at the head of her bed. When she was done, the rosette was about to start work on her clothes until she remembered all of her undergarments were on top. Panicking, she swiftly slammed the suitcase shut and zipped it up at lightning speed. Hoping wishfully that the brunette didn't notice, green eyes peered over her shoulder only to have a close call heart attack when black orbs stared back.

Letting out a nervous laugh, she hastily threw the luggage in the closet next to the trunk at the opposite end of her bed. "I'll do it later," she said, seeing his frowning brows. "Too lazy! Haha!"

Sasuke shook his head. "Whatever," he mumbled after getting out of his seat and grabbing his light weight utility coat. As he headed for the door, the young man instructed, "If you leave, too, remember to lock the door." After that, he was gone.

A few minutes passed when Sakura clumsily dashed over to lock the door as told and pressed her ear to the wooden barrier. Squinting in concentration, she didn't hear any movements on the other side and released a breath of relief. Not wasting any time, Sakura yanked her luggage back out, knocking the closet doors to the side, and hurriedly took all of her undergarments and shoved them to the bottom of the trunk before jamming her clothes on top. Luckily for her, she didn't really like girl clothing all that much—which made it considerably easier for her with all her baggy clothes. Now that she didn't have any more reason to panic, Sakura took a few minutes to carefully put her uniforms away in the closet along with any of her winter coats. After that, she went back to reorganize her desk with the textbooks in alphabetical order and her supplies in the drawers according to material. She did the usual personalizing on her side of the room until she was satisfied. With a small grin, she fell back into her bed, arms spread across the mattress with legs dangling off to the side.

From where she laid, the ceiling was quite interesting like the rest of the school. Instead of the normal textured and speckled look, the ceiling was in sections of squares she normal saw in ballrooms or something. Each square was lined with a thick and beveled piece of wood to make the ceiling pop more. In the center of the ceiling in one square was a dark reddish brown fan to match the rest of the room walls. Sitting up, Sakura found that the plush carpet was of the same hue but darker. The room itself was very big—bigger than any normal dorm room she had seen—with enough space between her bed and Sasuke's that it wasn't suffocating. While her desk was position at the head of her bed, the Uchiha's was on the same wall where her closet sat by the bathroom door. Because the school was so well funded, each room could afford its own bathroom—for which she was really, really grateful. If someone were to walk in their room right now, they would see her bed first upon entry next the window, with Sasuke's desk and bathroom door to the right, and his bed and closet on the left. While observing the space, she couldn't help but notice how clean it was. Uchiha Sasuke, it seems, was a clean and organized person.

Suddenly feeling the aches in her nerves, Sakura decided it was best to take a shower to ease the pain while the Uchiha was still gone. Grabbing her shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and hair brush as well as her clothes and towels, the rosette entered the bathroom—it looked like the one at home (very simple and practical)—locking the knob with a resounding click. While the water heated and steam filled the bathroom, solemn green eyes watched as the make-up faded to reveal healing bruises and cuts. Despite getting beat up all the time, Sakura was able to keep away any scars with care. One of the main reasons why she chose a private boarding school over a public one was so she could hide. She was tired of all the bullying and cruelty that others forced on her and wanted change. After stripping the many layers off, Sakura pulled off her wig, letting her hair fall into a pink cascade. Trying to ignore the stings, the young woman stepped into the shower, allowing the water to wash away all her worries.

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_Outsider_

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_45 minutes later…_

_..._

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Pulling the curtain back from the steaming shower, her tiny hand reached for one of her towels and started to dry off her small frame in the tub to prevent water from getting everywhere. Once dry and the towel was wrapped around her figure, she took the second towel to dry her long hair in five minutes. As the girl dressed in some casual clothes—t-shirt and shorts—Sakura realized that the whole bathroom smelled like vanilla. Turning on the vent in hopes of ridding the space of the girlish scent, she made a mental note to go shopping and buy some guy products. Just before leaving the bathroom, she made another routine check: wig, false brows, tape, bra, glasses—yep!

"I wonder if I should cut my hair," she said to herself, not seeing the other occupants in the room while wiping the steam off the lens. Throwing her dirty clothes in the hamper and putting on her frames, she stopped in the middle of the room, finger to her chin. "If I do that, it _would _be easier to—"

"Easier for what?"

Sakura jumped, feeling her heart try to leap out of her ribcage. "Holy shit!" she yelled, her inner self leaking through as she grabbed the front of her shirt and a bedpost to support herself. Wheezy pants came forth as Sakura tried to regain some lost oxygen and slow her heart beats. Peering over her shoulder through her foggy lens, she muttered, "Who the…?" Her sentence never finished as her glasses cleared and she found her roommate in bed with a pretty blonde girl in a very compromising position. To say the least, she definitely interrupted their _bonding _time. "I'll leave!"

"No! No, it's fine," the blonde assured, pushing the Uchiha away.

"Ino…" Sasuke called out lowly in annoyance, but his face remained indifferent.

The said girl merely smiled at him before moving off the bed to Sakura. Sticking her hand out abruptly, she stated, "I'm Yamanaka Ino. What's your name?"

Sakura couldn't even look at them, she was so embarrassed. There on the bed, looking tempting and handsome, the idiot Sasuke had yet to put his shirt back on, not to mention this Yamanaka Ino next to her. She _really _neededto button her shirt back up.

"Cou-Could you guys at least g-get dressed?" she stuttered, blocking her undeniably red face from view—any view! "It's, uh…it's…um, very…uh…"

Ino blinked and laughed loudly as if it was nothing, but buttoned up as requested while Sasuke threw on his shirt. "Sorry," the blonde apologized, sticking her hand out again, expecting Sakura to take it this time. "Your name?"

Still flushed and uncomfortable, Sakura used her left hand to greet—which was really awkward since it went under her right arm (the arm that was blocking everything)—tentatively. "M-Moroi S-Shin."

Ino grinned excitedly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sasuke-kun's girlfriend," she introduced too happily.

"Yeah…I kinda figured…" the rosette muttered sarcastically to herself. She then gave a small yelp when her arm was yanked forward.

"You're pretty cute, huh?" Ino complimented as she scrutinized her features, leaning too close for comfort. "Don't you think so, too, Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha gave his girlfriend a deadpan stare. "Do I look gay?"

The Yamanaka simply rolled her eyes before returning her interest to Sakura. "I'm just saying I've never seen green eyes like his before," she pointed out in amazement. "They're so light and clear—like liquid." Baby blues noticed the redness in Sakura's cheeks. "Oh, I just meant to say that they're beautiful. That's all."

"Eh hehehe. Um, thanks?" Sakura said uncertainly before catching Sasuke's intense gaze. He was looking at her with a lifted brow. The sudden attention was too uncomfortable, so she averted his eyes shyly. "I guess I should leave you two to your privacy," she announced timidly, pulling away to grab her sketch book and some lined-paper distractedly, shoving them into her handy pack. And with that, she took her leave quickly.

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_Unfamiliar_

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_Courtyard, 5: 27 PM…_

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After much running around—she forgot her map and got lost—Sakura finally found the courtyard that overlooked the ocean by her window. During the orientation, she didn't really pay much attention when they were touring the school grounds. She was too busy admiring the architecture. Seeing some students hanging out here and there made the girl want to find a place more secluded, a place she could have all to herself. Walking around the courtyard for several minutes, Sakura, at last, found a huge ancient tree with thick branches that could support her weight. Glancing around to make sure no one was around or looking, Sakura slung her bag over her shoulder and pulled up her sleeves before leaping into the air, and grasping the closest branch. Using the muscle strength in her arms, the rosette held on tightly as she swung her legs up and over, her body following until the soles of her shoes hit solid footing. Her athletic skill always surprised everyone each year whenever she had gym. They always thought that just because she was shy and always teased, she had zero talent when it came to sports. In fact, she was great at them. It was Tsunade who suggested for her to participate to vent out all of her frustrations; so Sakura really enjoyed track and kick boxing. Sometimes, her mentor would teach her some things as well. So it wasn't because she was defenseless, but mostly she was too scared to start anything.

Sinking against the trunk, her hands pulled out the lined paper she grabbed alongside a black ink pen. Her green eyes stared at the empty sheet with nothing coming to mind. She was originally going to observe her surroundings and draw a still life from that, but hastily grabbed writing paper in her quick getaway.

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_"Why don't we get to know each other?"_

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Why not? It's not like he knew her real name or her family relations. But he already gave her his name, so it kind of destroyed the purpose of secret identities.

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_"You'll hear a lot about Uchiha Sasuke if you stay here…but none of that will be true…"_

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Well, he got that right. Seeing this side of him two weeks after she met him sort of changed her views on him a bit. The way he said _Uchiha_ was almost prideful, yet she felt like it was a persona he hid behind and that he wanted someone to know the real him. Not this _Uchiha Sasuke_ who was supposedly the son of the largest corporation in the country. She did her research since he was so kind to remind her how much television she watched. After seeing all of the news on him and how he was a notorious playboy and what not; and seeing him now—she wondered, though, which was the real Sasuke.

Mint green eyes stared at the lines, trying to visualize the words she wanted to express. _'The real Sasuke…our real selves, huh?' _Sakura thought contemplatively. The corner of her lips twitched as she let her hands flowed without thinking.

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_I have decided to accept your proposition, Sasuke-san. Please allow me to know the real you. Not Uchiha Sasuke, the youngest son of the Uchiha family, but just Sasuke—the boy I met on the plane…_

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Her hand hesitated on the last few lines. She wondered if it would be too presumptuous of her to even put that. It seemed to close and intimate. Green eyes stared up, catching movement in one of the student windows. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was Sasuke and his girlfriend. Lowering her gaze, she closed her pale eyelids, remembering the sweet kiss he gave her. It wasn't what she imagined her first kiss to be like—but how often did it actually work out that way? Zero. Yet, somehow in retrospect, it was perfect. A kiss from a stranger she never met. Now_ that _was interesting.

Smiling softly to herself, his words rang once more through her mind like a bell. He said it would be interesting, and he didn't lie.

Moving her hand again, Sakura finished her letter in an elegant script.

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_ …because I _also _want to know why._

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Sakura took a deep breath, and closed the letter.

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_Your stranger,_

_ Haru_

* * *

_**Please Read. It's very important, so please don't skip over it.**_

__This story, as many of you may or may not know, was an old and popular story from my old account, Winter's Holly. When I wrote this, I was extremely depressed and was in the hospital god knows how many times. I'm one of those people who try to get through each day by smiling; but I'm telling you who have never felt like this, it is very hard. It's a very rough thing to go through when you stare at yourself each morning and hate the person you see. I hide and pretend like I'm the happiest person in the world, but I'm not. And yes, I'm like a lot of you who grew up a lot better than our parents with everything handed to us; however, sometimes even that doesn't satisfy us.

If you're like me, people always say, "Oh just get over it!" "You don't really have it that bad, so knock it off!" "She just wants attention, leave her alone."

Those are the most painful things to ever hear especially from someone you hold very dear. Yes, I do have a good life; yes, I don't have it as bad; yes I need to get over it. But it is seriously not that easy and people who don't know a thing you're going through thinks it is. Sometimes the pills work, sometimes they don't and makes it that much worse.

The reason why I'm saying all this is because you'll see some parts of my life reflected in this story (the clothes, the bullying, the arts, medicine), so please don't be surprised if you can relate to it as well. I'm sure a lot of us went through this phase where all the weight was on your shoulders, and still is.

For this story, I want you to really think about it, see how you can empathize with that person who went through this and not judge in the future.

Anyways, I'm sorry for bringing down the mood. I'm just tired of seeing people being treated so badly just because they want somebody-anybody-to reach out and help them. I know I could have used the help. But to reassure any of you guys who are worried, I'm doing fine as of late. There are times, yes, that I can't help the way I feel-it just happens. That's why I try to devote a lot of time to writing and drawing and painting again so I don't go crazy. I've found my motivation to live and it's worth it. One of these days, I'll tell you guys, but not right now.

So please review and tell me what you think of the newly written first chapter of Kakurenbo.

Sincerely,

Hoozuki


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